Healthcare Social Media by Kelly Mellott and Stacey Simon

March 29, 2014

• Point Park University ‘07

• UPMC’s first full-time social media manager• 5+ years media relations experience• 4+ years social media experience

• Proud “parent”

About Stacey

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• Press releases• Pitching• Press conferences

• Online newsroom• …Twitter!

Media Relations Background

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UPMC Facebook Page

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• Launched Facebook Page Jan. 2010• Posted mainly news stories at first• Expanded gradually

• The wall = “What, they can talk back to us!?”

• First step = listen! • Expressed safety measures taken• Corrected false rumors• Earned credibility as the source of information

Tweeting During a Crisis

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• Dec. 2009: Social media committee presents “business case”• Jan. 2010: Launched UPMC Facebook Page• Feb. 2011: Started @UPMCnews Twitter account• March 2011: Presented 2nd “business case” for expanded

resources• March 2012: One full-time social media position created• May 2012: Added more strategic/engaging content to the mix• Fall 2012: Added additional profiles for UPMC’s sub brands

(UPMC East, CancerCenter, Magee, Sports Medicine)• November 2012: One-person “team” grows to two!• January 2013: Social media strategy is formalized • Summer 2013: Corporate presence expands to LinkedIn, Instagram, Vine,

Pinterest and Google+• December 2013: Third social media employee is added! • February 2014: Consumer-facing blog launches

UPMC’s Social Media Past

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UPMC’s Social Media Team Setup

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Sr. Engagement ManagerKate Powell

Email and Social

Social Media ManagerStacey Simon

Strategy and policy

Specialist ILigaya Scaff

Team support

Specialist IIJulia Kramkova

Content strategy

Digital DesignerDual UPMC.com and Social Media

VideographersMarketing, Web, Public Relations

UPMC Health Plan

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

UPMC Careers

Design and video support:

Corporate Social Media Team: System partners:

• BA Journalism, Magazine Concentration

• Focused in traditional print mediums• Blogging and “Citizen Journalism”

were new topics• By senior year, our Honors Program

students were making multimedia content with recorded sound, video and images

• Venus Zine– Editorial Internship 2 years

• Front of Book Writer to larger pieces

• Web Writing• Assistant Fashion Editor• Myspace, Facebook, YouTube –

Venus Zine TV– No Editorial Positions = Marketing!

• Section Editor, Staff Writer

Journalism Background

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• Editor, Prime Publishing– Web Content Production from Launch– Blogging– SEO– Developed social channels and content calendars

• Freelance Web Content– Content Production Companies– Real Estate, Finance, Local News Publications, Wine Blog

Web Editorial Experience

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Healthcare Experience

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• National Ovarian Cancer Coalition– All things

communications, public relations and Advertising

– PSA Development – Social Media Channels

• YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest

• National and Chapter initiatives

• First digital awareness campaign #WhyTeal

Healthcare Experience

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• UPMC• Focus on content

development and strategy• Four Main channels:

• UPMC• CancerCenter• Magee-Womens

Hospital• UPMC East

• Develop content for new platforms

• YouTube Channel• LinkedIn• Google +• Pinterest

• Precision Therapeutics Inc.

• Personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics

• First ever digital marketing strategy

• Revamping all social and digital efforts

• New audience focus:• Ovarian Cancer

Patients• Gynecologic

Oncologists

• Pillars of Journalism– Accuracy– Engaging Story– Timeliness– Establish Expertise – Understand your audience

• “Write about what you know…”

• Social Media adds the “conversation”

Journalistic Approach

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Would it go on a Magazine Cover?

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• “Brand Journalism”– Using specially-designed content to attract customer attention– or in this case,

patients

• “Content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent.”

- The Content Marketing Institute

- Take-away ratio

“Content Marketing”

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Example

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• Editorial Calendars– Daily themes– Monthly themes

• Topics that are “top of mind” to the public– Regular features

• Establish a rhythm to keep fan base coming back

The Process

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Adding a voice to the noise

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The “Angelina Effect”

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Cancer Conversation

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Cancer Conversation

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Content Calendars

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1. We aim to work 1 month in advance– Outline the month with brand priorities, themes and holidays

2. Add in regular features

3. Work with Clinical Marketing to support priorities and create engaging angle, find expert sources

4. Tailor to the medium

5. Create rich content

6. Fact check, fact check, fact check

7. Adjust and be flexible!

The Process

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• Overall goal – “Life Changing Medicine”

– Educate– Engage– Enlighten– Entertain

Proactive Content

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Educate: General Health info, about UPMC, health observances

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Educate: General Health info, about UPMC, health observances

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Engage: Trivia, Audience Qs, Fact or Fiction, Q&As, Employees

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Engage: Trivia, Audience Qs, Fact or Fiction, Q&As, Employees

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Fact or Fiction?

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Enlighten: behind-the-scenes, media, patient stories

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Entertain: quotes, holidays, local, rich content

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Creating Rich Content

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Infographics

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Telling the patient story

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Patient Story Amplification Project

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Patient Story Amplification Project

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Story Amplification Project

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• Show the audience you are listening – join the conversation– What is your audience talking about?

Reactive Posts

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• Stronger following– Began using Facebook Advertising for

promoted posts (Like ads coming soon) and doubled Facebook fan base since March 2013

– Larger social media staff needed to support larger fan base

• Acquired Social Media Management System (SMMS) – Spredfast

• Launched consumer-facing blog

• Expanded monthly reporting

Growth in the past year

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Summary Stats – Corporate Channels

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An image detailing surprising ingredients found on popular sodas was the month’s highest-reaching organic post on UPMC’s Facebook. The photo was shared 50 times by fans, resulting in additional commentary and engagement from non-fans.

What we learned:• Dynamic, sharable content performs well• UPMC’s audience is interested in general

nutrition information

Moving forward:

We will investigate additional opportunities for information-heavy, sharable photos to continue to educate our audience and increase the visibility of our posts

What’s in your Soda?Channel: UPMC FacebookTiming: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4

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1. Legal Limitations

• Taking advantage of user-generated content may be a cumbersome process

• What are contests without prizes?

• Federal patient privacy laws affect how we engage

Challenges

2. Tough Crowd

• “Evil empire”

• Sensitive subject matter

• Modest fan base

Challenges

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Facebook Likes

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Mayo Clinic on Facebook(500,000+ Likes)

UPMC on Facebook(15,000+ Likes)

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Facebook Use Among Hospitals

Hospital * Fans

1 Cleveland Clinic (4) 874,514

2 Mayo Clinic (3) 505,850

3 Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore (1) 143,872

4 Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University(15)

58,906

5 New York-Presbyterian (7) 40,863

6 Brigham and Women’s Hospital (9) 18,964

7 Massachusetts General Hospital (2) 17,576

8 UPMC (10) 15,027

9 USCF Medical Center (7) 14,422

10 University Hospitals Case Medical Center (18) 11,451

11 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center(13) 9,166

12 Northwestern Memorial Hospital (6) 8,943

13 Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (17) 7,775

14 Duke Univ. Medical Center (12) 7,027

15 Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (5) 7,173

16 Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (11) 6,947

17 IU Health Academic Health Center (16) 6,120

18 NYU Langone Medical Center (14) 4,714

U.S. News “Honor Roll” Hospitals (By # Facebook Fans)

* U.S. News “Honor Roll” Ranking in parentheses

• 1,292 U.S. hospitals currently use Facebook.Source: http://network.socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/hcsml-grid/

3. Old-school mentality

• Many leaders still are not receptive of social media

• Edgy ideas normally don’t make it through the approval process

• Accustomed to sales-y, one-way marketing (Ads don’t talk back!)

Challenges

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What lies ahead?

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• Making an effort with Google+ - first Google Hangout in April!

• Tackling legal roadblocks

• Expanding creative resources with the goal of creating more content – both timely and cross-channel

What lies ahead?

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Questions?

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Stacey SimonSocial Media Manager, UPMCTwitter: @StaceyLSimonLinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/StaceySimonEmail: SimonSL@UPMC.edu

Kelly MellottDigital Marketing Strategist, Precision Therapeutics LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/KellyMellottEmail: Kmellott@PTILabs.com

Tips and guidelines to consider: • Sensitivity and Empathy – pretend you are the patient or a family member,

walk in their shoes and never make promises. There are no certainties in healthcare!

• Privacy and Legal parameters – HIPAA, patient information, employee and patient safety

• Medical Accuracy – only trusted sources, make sure it can be proven• Big Pond – With 65,000 employees and an even larger patient pool, the

social media team are the small fish • Politics – remember this is still a business; facilities, experts and partners• Audience – limited attention-span and knowledge

Creating Content

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Patient Relations Connect you to patients and families

Public Relations Current events; media

Clinical Marketing Clinical service lines, experts/employees

Administration Issues affecting operations, anything extreme (+/-)

Design/Video Rich content production

Contacts and Resources

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Challenge #1: Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

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Service Line: UPMC CancerCenterChallenges: UPMC CancerCenter wants to promote network sites and its new campaign, “Centered on Cancer, Focused on You.” April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month but it is an extremely sensitive and private cancer.

Solution #1: Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

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Challenge #2: The Walking Dead; Everyone loves Zombies!

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Service Line: openChallenges: Zombies have hit mainstream media and we want in on the action. However, zombies are not exactly sensitive, not medically accurate.

Solution #2: The Walking Dead; Everyone loves Zombies!

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Challenge #3: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Service Line: UPMC Sports MedicineChallenges: Everyone knows that Pittsburghers love their sports teams. UPMC is the official sports medicine provider of the Pittsburgh Penguins. We want to promote the partnership during Pens season, but the Pens and the NHL are very sensitive about alluding to any type of injury and we cannot use images or names of any individual team members.

Solution #3: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Challenge #4: National Picnic Day

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Service Line: openChallenges: National Picnic Day is coming up and we’re using this as content inspiration because we know our audience connects with awareness days and holidays. We want to do something fun but it needs a health angle.

• http://bit.ly/1fp145Q

Solution #4: National Picnic Day

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Challenge #5: Holiday spirit

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Service Line: Trauma ServicesChallenges: It’s the holiday season but we need to promote our trauma service line. We want to keep the spirit light, sensitive to religious differences and the focus on medicine.

Solution #5: Holiday spirit

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Questions?

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Stacey SimonSocial Media Manager, UPMCTwitter: @StaceyLSimonLinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/StaceySimonEmail: SimonSL@UPMC.edu

Kelly MellottDigital Marketing Strategist, Precision Therapeutics LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/KellyMellottEmail: Kmellott@PTILabs.com